64 AGRICULTURE. 



THE TURNIP belongs to what is known as the mustard 

 family (Crucijertz). The principal members of this family are 

 the turnip, the radish, the cabbage, rape, cultivated mustard, 

 horseradish ; the weeds, wild mustard or charlock, shepherd's 

 purse, and wild flax ; the flowers, stocks and candy tuft. The 

 flowers of all these plants have 4 petals spread out in the 

 shape of a cross hence the name, cruciferce. 



THE CARROT is a plant whose varieties differ greatly in 

 shape, size, and color. Celery and the parsnip belong to the 

 same family. The blossom resembles the stays of an um- 

 brella ; hence the name umbelliferce applied to this family. 

 The shape of the root, differing from that of the turnip, 

 suggests that the plant goes deep and therefore requires a 

 soil loose and open and deeply cultivated. 



THE BEET belongs to still another family, the goose- 

 foot family. The original of this root was a wild plant of 

 Southern Europe. Gradually it has been improved, the root has 

 been enlarged and the composition changed, until now we have 

 several very valuable plants whose roots are widely used. The 

 mangel-wurzel or mangel is one variety, grown for stock feed- 

 ing. The sugar beet is another, grown for its sugar. Mangels 

 when grown on rich, well-cultivated soils produce enormous 

 yields per acre. They may be kept stored for late feeding. 



The sugar beet is a good example of what can be done by 

 way of improving plants. In its wild state the beet had very 

 little sugar that could be extracted. By cultivation it was found 

 that the quantity of sugar increased. Suppose we take a field 

 of common white beets and select the most perfectly shaped 

 roots of about i^ or 2 pounds each, and plant them and 

 then select the best seed from these and sow this seed. We 

 pick out the best beets from that crop. Then by testing small 

 pieces of the roots we find out which have the largest amount 

 of sugar, and plant them. We keep on in this way for several 

 years ; we find that at last we get seed that will produce beets 



